The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony Non-Fiction suggested by Verna Engrossing — Couldn’t put it down!!! Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to animal conservation, protecting the world’s endangered species. Then he was asked to accept a herd of “rogue” wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. His common sense told him to […]
Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian Fiction suggested by Anca In her extraordinary debut, Aline Ohanesian has created two remarkable characters—a young man ignorant of his family’s and his country’s past, and an old woman haunted by the toll the past has taken on her life.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande Non-Fiction suggested by Terry and Sharon In Being Mortal, bestselling author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending. Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, […]
Title by Night At The Fiestas by Kristen Valdez Quade Fiction, short stories suggested by Barbara Set in northern New Mexico, an astonishing, beautifully rendered debut about growing up in a land shaped by love, loss and violence. With intensity and emotional precision, Kirstin Valdez Quade’s unforgettable stories plunge us into the fierce, troubled hearts […]
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Fiction suggested by Patti Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. […]
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown Non-Fiction suggested by Nancy . . . out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate […]
From 2011 until mid-2015, these are the book we read and discussed: Barron Park Reading Group Books read June 2015 and earlier 2015 American Nations Colin Woodard Jun Terry non-fiction Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie May Janet fiction Me Before You JoJo Moyes Apr Yvonne fiction Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Betty Smith Mar Barbara fiction […]
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron Fiction suggested by Janet The first “Being A Jane Austen Mystery”; the detective is a fictional Jane Austen. Jane’s friend newly married Countess Isobel is accused of adultery and murder. from Amazon – For everyone who loves Jane Austen . . . a marvelously entertaining […]
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Fiction suggested by Barbara 1980 a wealthy businessman is brutally kidnapped and returned one week later. Forty years later all the family is still suffering the repercussions. Amazon: In 1980, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway, brutalized, and held for ransom. He is returned […]
The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan Fiction suggested by Susan After 50 years putting family first, wealthy widow Venetia is left with a beautiful but empty home. She declares her independence, gets a makeover, and adopts a dog. From Amazon – It’s never too late to start dancing again… For fifty years, Venetia Hargreaves’s world […]